Tactical Shovels & Excavation Tool Sharpening

Shovels, Picks and Hoes Sharpened

At the Sharpening Shack, we professionally sharpen all types of Tactical, Military and Entrenchment Tools. We make them as sharp or as durable as you would like. We sharpen all tactical shovels and e-tools better than new!

For those of you who have Tactical, Special Forces or Military Shovels, we can sharpen them to a cutting knife edge so that they may be used for protection or slicing vs. digging and chopping, just let us know your requirements.

Tactical Shovel & Entrenchment Tool History

Historically the combat shovel probably dates back to the trench warfare of WWI, when soldiers were rumored to prefer a sharpened entrenching tool over knives, bayonets, or clubs for close combat. Verified combat use tracks back to the Russian Spetsnaz, whose soldiers are routinely trained in the use of the short shovel as knife, club, non-lethal baton, axe, and throwing tomahawk.

Entrenching tools, if strongly built, can also be used as weapons. Some entrenching tools can be even sharpened on one or both sides of the blade to be used as cutting tools or weapons; in fact, when used as such, the tool's sharp, thick edges are strong enough to cut through flesh and bone.

During the WWII, entrenchment spades were used in close quarters combat between German and Soviet forces. Soviet Spetsnaz units were well trained in the use of the standards short-handled Russian entrenching shovel ("saperka") as weapons.

By the nature of their missions, such tools were only rarely used them digging or entrenching positions. Modern commando forces, too, are trained to fight with entrenchment tools.